Summer Bucket List

Now that we've survived a Polar Vortex and we are inching very slowlllllllllly towards the warm Summer months, I'm starting to dream about all the activities that I want to cram into 12 short weeks (give or take). I've made a mini Summer Bucket List of activities to tackle-tell me what you're hoping to accomplish this summer!

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Images:
1. Picnic
2. Wine Tasting
3. Farmer's Market Cook Off
4. Grilled Pizza
5. Attend an Outdoor Yoga Event
6. Visit the Highline

Sporty Spice-Paracord Bracelet DIY

I wish I could remember which blog I originally saw a tutorial for this bracelet on (if you know, help a sistah out)! Seriously though, this is one of the easiest projects ever and it makes for a very cool, unique piece of jewelry! 

All  you need is E6000 adhesive, your bracelet (mine is from Michaels), and some rhinestones! Be sure that you are in a well ventilated area, add glue to your stones, allow to set for 2 mins and place onto your bracelet. A 24-72 hour dry time is recommended for best results. 

It doesn't matter what I am doing around the house, this little guy and his sister are always at my heels. I had to snap a pic of him with both ears turned out while he looks into the distance like the model that he is! #Swoon 

Wednesday Words

Spotlight on Jewelmint

Jewelmint is a member of the Minted family that allows you to subscribe and purchase an item on a monthly basis for $29.99, the site also allows you to skip a month if you choose. I was a loyal subscriber to Jewelmint about a year ago, and then I cancelled my subscription in an attempt to contain my shopping issues and recently I've been drawn back! I'm loving these pieces. Jewelmint-if you're listening, I miss you!

Yellow Gold Onyx Pop Ring

Mixed Crescent Moon Necklace

Tiny Bee Ring

Bee's Knees Necklace

Ella b Rose Gold Ear Buds

Wednesday Words

Then & Now

A couple weeks ago I had one of the best dates of my life-with my friend Maryann- she of the turquoise necklace fame. We went on a thrifting/antiquing/talk to crazy ass people date and I was in heaven. I recently acquired some very cool, very old things from my great-grandmother and it ignited this vintage fire within me and Mare is the queen of antiquing so I had to set up a date to show her my new beauties and learn her ways. The best part is that my favorite of the stores we visited is within walking distance of my house. Throughout the day I took pics of some of the awesome pieces that I saw that were either too big or too expensive-I have to snap pictures of every damn thing I like. I'm also so in love with all the pieces that did come home me that I threw those in as well! If you have a favorite vintage/thrift shop around me, let me know, I'm down for the adventure!

Then & Now is located in an old bowling alley on Lafayette Ave in Hawthorne, NJ. This place is a treasure trove of pieces. From housewares to jewelry, to random pieces (hello giant stone lions) this place is all encompassing and you could easily get lost for hours in there!

This pattern was so playful and fun!

I found this baby in a dirty, dark back room. It would have come home with me (not that I have the wall space) except that it had a small tear in the canvas, so now I'll use it for color inspiration. 

This pouf was perfection and the tag says legend has it that it is embossed with real gold!

I really loved the milky hue of these tiki glasses, sadly, the wooden insets were all cracked. 

This basket is one of my "for Canada" purchases that had my husband shaking his head. I was inspired by this fishing basket and I grabbed this babe for $15 and added my own tassels! 

These shorts could not be more perfect-they're soft, dirty, and broken in. Snagged these for $7.50. All they needed was a stitch on each seam to hold a cuff! (Can you spot the gremlin in this picture?)

This picture does not do these babies justice. I saw all three pieces in a glass counter and was hoping I could buy the earrings separately-I was sure that I could not afford all three and I really wanted the earrings anyway. When I found out that all three were $5, I was beyond elated! The stones are a cross between robin's egg blue and pale lilac, and they're all in perfect condition! 

I grabbed this chain mail sunglasses case for $7 and the Coty powder compact for another $6! Gold seems to be overtaking silver in my life! 

Spotlight on Provisions by Food52

I was introduced to Food52 by Cupcakes and Cashmere and I am SO glad that I read Emily's post that day, because I love them now! I always look forward to perusing their daily emails, mostly due to the fact that I love food though I do not consider myself a "cook". I also love beautiful photography and they have NAILED it in that department-their product photos are blog-like and very inspiring. Maybe I should tell you what they are all about before I continue ranting about their product photos? 

"A few years ago, we set out to bring cooks together from all over to exchange recipes and ideas and to support each other in the kitchen. We wanted to create a buzzing place for others who do what we do all day long: talk about food! Together we create cookbooks, take on food projects, help others with our real-time food Q&A -- the Food52 Hotline -- and support local food producers." (Food52)

If you read the above and visited their website, you probably love them as well. As per usual, I fell in love with every a few items on their site and have pulled them together here. Let me know what you're loving! 

Brass Crescent Bottle Opener

Handwoven Picnic Tote (Small or Large)

Waxed Canvas Market Bag

Piebox (Literally Pie in a Box)

Spherical Hanging {Fruit} Basket 

Morning BB Smoothie

You may have noticed here and here that I've been consuming a ton of smoothies, and I'm here to confirm that I'm obsessed with them! They fit so perfectly into my lifestyle and they're really helping me ensure that I am getting all my protein and fiber. Usually, I am running late for work and I'm eating waffles or an English muffin while driving. I can assure you that I love and live for carbs, but I can't continue eating them as much as I do. This is where the smoothie comes into play, I set out my non-refrigerated ingredients on the counter before bed and just have to throw everything into the blender and pour it in a to-go cup. I can sip on it while driving and working at my desk and I am satisfied right until lunch  at 12/12:30.

I've been a big fan of my honey nut smoothie, but I've been adjusting the ingredients based on what I have in the fridge. My poor husband has to hear me whine endlessly if we don't have bananas in the house (sorry, babe)! I saw some fresh blueberries the other day and they looked so plump and delicious so I knew that I had to adapt my recipe to include them.

Blueberries rank the highest of any fruit for antioxidants and one cup of these babies delivers 14% of the recommended daily dose of fiber! (WebMD) Antioxidants and high fiber, I'm in!!

Recipe:

1 whole banana
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1 Tbsp chia sees
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 hand fulls of blueberries
6 ice cubes
1 tsp of honey



Image 1 

Wednesday Words

Excitement for the future is one of my favorite parts of life!

Road Trippin' - Canada or Bust

I've been experiencing severe wanderlust recently and I find myself daydreaming about the road trip I have planned with my family for late July. I keep finding myself buying things and telling my husband, "it's for Canada"! I love this pared down collection of items and strive to be as streamlined with my packing when I go. My grandfather already warned me that I can only bring one bag, but I'll be driving my own car and I'll fill it up if I want to! 

Turquoise

I was having lunch with a fabulous friend/coworker/style inspiration when I became entranced by her turquoise necklace. I literally had to stop her mid-conversation to talk about it and take pics (surprise, surprise). So I thought to myself and her, could I recreate that necklace myself? After a quick trip to the store to acquire my supplies, this beautiful baby was born! I consider myself to be fairly crafty but I have never made a necklace like this before and I can tell you that this one took me about 10 minutes. Please note that turquoise jewelry compliments every single skin tone and hair color and it adds a dash of bohemian elegance to every outfit. Translation: craft or purchase some turquoise jewelry asap! I love the earthy feel that turquoise gives me, and I am SO ready to greet the summer with this beauty on my neck!

Supply list:

Needle Nose Pliers
Wire Cutting Tool
Turquoise Beads- here's your chance to really make this necklace your own!
26 gauge beading wire
Ring clasp and closure

Cut two (or more) pieces of wire to your desired length with 2 inches of excess, tie a "knot" in one end and string your beads on. 

Once you have strung as many strands as you'd like, use your pliers to loop the wire back through the last bead, be sure to make it as snug as possible. Once you've done so, mold the looped wire to the shape of the bead for a clean finish.

Gather all your strands together, loop them through the jump ring, and begin to twist the excess wire (cut to size if you have too much) around itself until your closure feels secure. Be sure to cut off the remaining wire and carefully crimp the ends around your ring or twisted wire-you don't your necklace to scratch your skin!

Follow the same process on the side of the closure ring to finish your piece. Style this necklace freely and liberally for best results!

The Twisted Elm

I've been to The Twisted Elm restaurant during its previous incarnation as The Elmwood Barn when I was young enough not to know or care if the food was good. Fast forward to last week, I wanted to go to brunch with my best friend before seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel (which I highly recommend) and I asked a fellow yogi and Hawthorne resident for a recommendation and she suggested the Twisted Elm, where she also happens to work. I immediately pulled up the menu and was so excited to go, and I'll say this, I was not disappointed!

Biscuits and muffins are made on site-and they are beyond delicious! 

Alyssa chose the omelet option-she went with spinach, feta, and sausage. 

I chose the goat cheese and spinach quiche and I would absolutely choose it again-the greens it sat upon were delicious (I normally hate salad) and the "home fries" in the background were fried to crispy perfection with a coating of Parmesan cheese!

Following a round of mimosa's I chose to sober up with my go-to cappuccino. 

Wednesday Words

This is my mantra and the reason why I own way too many tchotchkes! 

The 2014 Met Gala-Prada Spot Light

First of all, I am a huge fan of Miuccia Prada, I love her often quirky, over the top, very European designs. While her creations may not be the epitome of classic style, I feel that the Met gala is the time for everyone to step out of their sartorial comfort zone and kick it up a notch in favor of the most outrageous ball of the year! To me, you save your most daring outfit for this evening and to me, no one does daring and different better than little miss Prada!

My main girl, Margot Robbie

Brie Larson

Dianna Agron

Elizabeth Olsen

Gabrielle Union

Lupita Nyong'o

Sarah Paulson

Jon's Banana Bread

There is a mis-conception that I must clear up-a couple friends let me know that it appears (on my Instagram feed) that I know how to cook-while I do know my way around a kitchen, I am not the chef in our home. I handle all the baking, decorating, and (most of) the cleaning-I've also been known to mix a drink or two! My husband is the real star in the kitchen and has had very few flops-he will never live down his first attempt at Bechamel sauce. Jon isn't much of a baker, but he does have one go-to recipe in his arsenal that never disappoints-(The Joy of Cooking's) Banana Bread. This bread is so soft and dense (in the best way) and is perfect for breakfast, warm and with a bit of butter!

Jon prefers to skip the walnuts and dried apricots in favor of adding chocolate chips. The Joy Kitchen blog suggests adding candied ginger and I'm very surprised that the hasn't done so already. With this classic recipe, you can add so many different ingredients to make it truly yours!

Tassel Times

Is it just me or are tassels the new thing? I've been seeing them everywhere (maybe I'm just noticing them more). I've really gotten the bug recently to DIY something tassel-ly (sp?). I've compiled a few of the DIYs that I've noticed, tell me, which one would you most like to see? Skip to number 5 if you're more of a throw-money-at-the-problem type of girl!

1. Tassel Keychain via Stripes and Sequins:

                                                     
                                                                                                                                               

2. Tassel Tote Bag/update my own raffia clutch via HonestlyWTF:

3. Leather Tassel Bag Charm via HonestlyWTF:
I'm leaning towards this DIY since I have the same bag and similar pants! 

4. Wooden Bracelet with Tassel via The Avenue Blog:

5. Stella and Dot's Milana Tassel Bracelet ($49):
I also LOVE these earrings from the Design Darling online boutique!!